Yingqu Liuzi was pampered by her wealthy daddy.

Shen Yu'an was only seven years old when she first met Xize.

There were many people at the family gathering. He was sitting next to his mother eating dessert when he looked up and saw a very tall man standing in the corner, wearing a dark suit and with dark blond hair. His features were different from those of the blond-haired, blue-eyed people around him; his features were more defined and colder.

Shen Yu'an glanced at him, then lowered her head and continued eating her cake.

I saw him at every gathering after that.

Xize was nine years older than him. When Shen Yu'an was in elementary school, Xize was already in middle school. When Shen Yu'an was in middle school, Xize had already begun to take over family affairs.

The two didn't interact much, but every time they met, Xize would say a few words to him.

When asked how he was doing and if he was settling into school, Shen Yu'an always answered that he was fine, so Xize stopped asking.

When he speaks, he looks down at Shen Yu'an, but his gaze is not oppressive; it's just a way of confirming that he's listening.

Shen Yu'an's impression of Xize remained "a man who doesn't talk much but will ask him how he is."

At the age of seventeen, Shen Yu'an decided to go to London to study art.

His mother was worried that he wouldn't be able to take good care of himself while he was away, so she called Xize's mother.

Xize's mother suggested that Yu'an move in near our house, since Xize was also in London and could help out if needed. Yu'an's luggage was already packed when he found out, and he simply said "okay."

Caesar picked him up at the airport on the day he arrived in London.

When Shen Yu'an pushed her luggage out, she saw Xize standing at the arrival gate, wearing a dark coat. He was taller and had broader shoulders than he had a few years ago.

He saw Shen Yu'an come out, but he didn't wave. He just took a step in his direction and reached out to take the suitcase from Shen Yu'an's hand when he got closer.

"Are you tired from the journey?"

"good."

"The car is outside."

Shen Yu'an followed him outside, with a half-step distance between them.

Xize pushed the suitcase ahead, with Shen Yu'an following behind, watching his back. The hem of his coat swayed gently with each step, his pace neither too fast nor too slow, just enough for Shen Yu'an to keep up.

Xize helped Shen Yu'an settle into a place not far from his house, about a ten-minute walk away.

The day Shen Yu'an moved in, Xize checked the heating and water pipes for him, made sure they were working, and then took him to a nearby supermarket, telling him which supermarket had the freshest products.

Shen Yu'an followed behind him, pushing a shopping cart, and Xize put a lot of food into the cart.

Shen Yu'an said she would buy it herself, but Xize said she should familiarize herself with the environment first and let him come next week.

After settling in, Xize would invite him to his home for a meal once a week.

Shen Yu'an would always struggle with what to wear on the way there, and in the end, she would always dress the same as usual.

Xize never commented on his clothes, but simply said "You're here" when he entered and then asked him what he wanted to eat.

Shen Yu'an gradually got used to this pattern.

He would go to Xize's house for a meal once a week, and Xize would drive him home afterward, and they would chat for a few minutes on the way.

Sometimes Xize would ask him if he had a lot of schoolwork, and sometimes Shen Yu'an would ask Xize if he was tired from work. Their conversations were short, but they were constant.

The turning point happened on Shen Yu'an's birthday.

He hadn't planned on it, but Xize sent a message a day in advance saying he'd come over for dinner on Saturday night.

When Shen Yu'an arrived, she found candles on the dining table. Xize brought out a bowl of noodles from the kitchen, saying that it was longevity noodles and that he had been learning how to make it for a long time, but he didn't know if it tasted right.

Shen Yu'an stared at the bowl of noodles for a moment, stunned.

Shen Yu'an sat down and ate his noodles. The noodles were a little soft and the soup was a bit salty, but he finished them all.

Xize sat opposite him and watched him finish eating, then handed him a box. Shen Yu'an opened it; inside was a set of paintbrushes, with his initials engraved on the ends of the brush handles.

He looked up at Xize, who was leaning back in his chair looking at him, and said, "Happy birthday." Shen Yu'an closed the box and whispered, "Thank you, brother."

That night, on the way back, Shen Yu'an sat in the passenger seat, the streetlights falling on Xize's face and then moving away.

Shen Yu'an glanced at him several times, but Xize didn't turn to look at him, though his car was moving a little slower than usual.

When they arrived at the apartment building, Shen Yu'an did not get out of the car immediately.

He sat down, hands on his knees, and said, "Brother, you're so good to me. I'll feel uneasy if you stop being so good to me."

Xize kept his hands on the steering wheel, turning his head to look at Shen Yu'an: "Who said I would treat you badly?"

"No. I'm just scared."

"What are you afraid of?"

Shen Yu'an did not answer. He looked down at his fingers, his eyelashes drooping.

Xize's gaze lingered on his slightly reddened earlobe for a moment before shifting away. After a while, he spoke: "I won't be unkind to you."

Shen Yu'an hummed in agreement, opened the car door, and got out.

When he reached the apartment entrance, he glanced back. Xize's car was still parked in the same spot, its headlights on, as if waiting for him to enter before leaving.

From that day on, Shen Yu'an realized that her feelings for Xize had changed.

He used to think of Xize as just a brother who would take care of him, but now he's starting to care about the way Xize looks at him and the feel of Xize's fingers touching his when Xize hands him something.

He began to pay attention to the tone of Xize's voice, the way he held his chopsticks while eating, and the posture he adopted while sitting on the sofa.

He magnified every detail, like a photograph being constantly zoomed in on.

He started avoiding Caesar. He would make excuses to skip their weekly meal, saying he had things to do at school.

Xize agreed, saying, "Come next week." The second week, he made another excuse to cancel, and Xize agreed again, saying, "Next week." The third week, Shen Yu'an didn't cancel because he couldn't think of a new reason.

He sat across from him at the dinner table that day, head down, eating his rice. Xize sat opposite him, pushed a bowl of soup in front of him, and said, "Have some soup, you said it was good last time."

Shen Yu'an took the bowl and drank a sip. The soup tasted just like last time—warm and perfectly seasoned. For some reason, his eyes stung a little. He put the bowl down and said, "Thank you, brother."

Xize looked at him, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke: "You've been avoiding me lately."

Shen Yu'an did not deny it.

Why?

Shen Yu'an put down his chopsticks and looked up at Xize. His heart was racing, and he felt his throat tighten, but he still spoke: "Because I like you."

Xize did not move.

"I like you, not the kind of liking a younger brother has for an older brother, but the kind of liking where I want to be with you." After saying this, Shen Yu'an looked away and stared at the rim of the bowl on the table.

Xize didn't answer immediately. He sat there quietly, and Shen Yu'an couldn't see his expression.

After a long time, Shen Yu'an heard the sound of a chair being pushed away. Xize stood up, walked around the table to him, squatted down, and looked him in the eye.

Look at me.

Shen Yu'an raised her gaze from the rim of the bowl and met Xize's eyes.

His grey-blue eyes were calmer than usual under the light, just like when he handled family affairs, except that when he looked into Shen Yu'an's eyes, there was a hint of emotion that had never appeared before.

"I like you too," Caesar said. "Even when you were avoiding me, I was thinking about you."

Shen Yu'an's eyes reddened. He looked down at the table, his hand hovering over the chopsticks.

Xize reached out and covered the back of his hand, his fingertips slowly rubbing against his knuckles.

That hand was much bigger than his, and the warmth of its palm traveled through his slightly cool knuckles.

He didn't pull away, nor did he move any closer to Xize. He just sat there, feeling the hand tracing the outline of the back of his hand.

Shen Yu'an did not answer. He felt his fingers being held by Xize, carrying Xize's warmth.

That night, Xize drove him home, parking the car downstairs. Shen Yu'an didn't get out of the car, and Xize didn't urge him either.

The two sat in the car for a long time. Shen Yu'an unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face Xize.

He reached out and grabbed Caesar's sleeve, just like he had done in the garden last time, only this time his fingers were steadyer, and the fabric was held tighter between his fingers.

Xize turned his head to look at him, then reached out and grasped Shen Yu'an's hand that was gripping his sleeve, his fingertips touching the base of Shen Yu'an's fingers, as if confirming the location of that hand.

"What were you thinking when you grabbed my sleeve?" Caesar asked.

"I'm wondering if you'll let go."

"So, am I relaxed now?"

Shen Yu'an looked down at the two people's clasped hands. Xize's fingers were intertwined with his, and he didn't let go.

He gently rubbed his fingertips against the skin on the back of his hand.

"No."

Xize didn't move. He sat in the driver's seat, holding Shen Yu'an's hand with one hand and resting his other hand on the steering wheel. The streetlights shone down from above, casting the silhouettes of the two people on the windshield.

They got together. Shen Yu'an moved into Xize's house, and dinner, which used to be once a week, became once a day.

Every morning before leaving home, Xize would straighten his collar, and when he came back in the evening, he would go to the art studio to see him, stand behind him for a while to watch the painting he was working on, and then ask him what he had painted that day.

The first time they were in bed, Shen Yu'an was pinned down by Xize. His breathing was erratic, and his fingers were gripping Xize's arm, his nails touching his skin.

His clothes had been undone. Xize looked down at him, his gaze slowly moving over the exposed skin before he looked up into Shen Yu'an's eyes.

"You were thinking about this on my birthday?" Shen Yu'an asked him.

Xize's fingers slid down his waistline, stopping at the outside of his thigh: "I'm wondering when you'll stop calling me 'brother'."

Shen Yu'an opened her mouth as if to say something, but Xize lowered his head and blocked her mouth.

His back sank into the blankets, and he felt Xize's hand supporting his lower back and pulling him up, carrying his body heat and the close proximity they had just made.

His fingernails dug several shallow marks on his back, and all the sounds were shattered in the narrow gap between the two of them.

He called him brother, and Xize responded. Then he called him by his name, his voice falling on the side of his neck.

Later, Shen Yu'an curled up in the blanket, and Xize hugged him from behind, resting his chin on his shoulder.

Shen Yu'an had already closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when he suddenly said, "You're still my brother."

Caesar's lips brushed against the back of his neck: "Mmm."

"But it's something else entirely."

"Um."

Shen Yu'an didn't speak again. He felt Xize's arm around his waist, very lightly, as if afraid of waking him.

His breath fell on the back of his neck; it was warm.

That warmth is now embedded in the gap between the two people, and it will no longer be blown away by the wind.

(Dear reviewer, the two are not related by blood, they are just neighbors, like brothers. Please let this go.)